Education Ministry Dramatically Cuts Funding for Small Classes

The Education Ministry is dramatically cutting funding for special education classes integrated into regular schools, including communication classes for students with autism. Starting from the seventh student, teaching hours will be reduced from 13.6 to 6.6, leading to the loss of a full teaching position in the class. Principals are forced to make urgent changes during the summer vacation, and disability organizations are furious over the lack of response to their appeals.

Less than a month before the start of the school year, the Education Ministry is considering a new directive for extensive budget cuts in special education classes integrated into regular education, including communication classes for students with autism, classes for children with intellectual disabilities and mental disorders, and Mabar and Etgar classes. Until now, the standard for a communication class was 5-8 students, with funding provided per student. According to the new decision, starting from the seventh student, the budget will be cut in half: instead of 13.6 teaching hours, only 6.6 hours will be allocated, leading to the loss of a full teaching position in the class. The letter reached schools only recently, forcing principals to make urgent changes to class schedules in the midst of summer vacation, with direct harm to students, including reduction in therapies and individual lessons. Education system officials fear that schools will avoid opening communication classes, and the cut is expected to widen gaps between strong and weak municipalities. Organizations such as ALUT, ILAN, and AKIM sent a letter in June without response. Attorney Liel Peled from ALUT claims the ministry acted "under the radar" and dramatically cut budgets, harming tens of thousands of students. Lior Bachar, principal of the Democratic School in Hadera, reports a loss of one and a half positions and fears teacher layoffs, arguing that the timing leaves no room for action.